During the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Higher Education fair in Riyadh, Arab News (the largest English language newspaper in the Middle East) had a number of articles on the topic of education. I thought this one would be interesting to share as I’ve had this same discussion with many university admissions officers: Does the Saudi education system prepare students sufficiently to study overseas?
I doubt I’ll hear many international admissions people argue against this, but I am interested to hear your comments. Personally I feel that the standard way of learning in all of the Middle East (rote memorization, regurgitation, and no discussion) leads to the lack of cognitive thinking that is the basis for US-style education especially at the University level. Combine that with the language issue and you have a student that’s primed to fail.
Read the Arab News article here: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/education_supplement/article366841.ece
See you at NAFSA (Booth #750) 
- Wassan
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3 comments ↓
This article seeks to find solutions for Saudi Arabian students of which struggle in the foreign school system. Dealing with students in their respective foreign country is a sensitive issue, especially in terms of criticism. More importantly, in seeking to find solutions, one must, ‘be responsible for guiding… not just dictating to them.’ Therefore, from an outside perspective, ‘guidance’ deems to be considerate of the Saudi Arabians. While the diagnosis to the problem is accurate, I believe the cure is far more complex. Furthermore, the photograph above the article is very telling as it displays the students all wearing fairly the same clothing. If the students should foster more critical thinking, then independence of thought should be encouraged.
Also, embedded in the culture is submissiveness to the patriarch in the family. Case in point, changing the curriculum and teacher workshops will only touch the surface of the issue, when the viable solutions lie at creating a learning environment. Another starting point would be to challenge the political, economic, and societal structures in place, and see if they encourage the student that would be successful in the foreign school system. One must also seek to find where students may feel repressed in their outlook towards education. The article does an excellent job of assessing the problem, yet the solutions lie in asking many more questions.
hi i m a teacher in the rural area of the Punjab Pakistan.plz guide and help me to the high standerd of the education of this area and plz also help to give me some founds for my students for buy boooks and other things of the school related. thanks
i strongly agree
i am one of many who want to change this way of teaching however, we can not (teachers) make any new style of teaching because we have to follow an old way which is memorization.
cognitive thinking is riquired to be applied in real ground
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